2020 Playoffs: First Round | Pacers vs. Heat

Derrick Jones Jr. leaves court on stretcher after collision, tests reveal neck strain

Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. was carted off the court and fitted for a neck brace after colliding with Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze late in the third quarter Friday.

Jones was trying to get around a screen from Bitadze when he collided with the 6-foot-11 center and fell to the floor. Jones lay on his stomach for several minutes with his right hand over the back of his head.

Players from both teams stood on the court in silence as Heat personnel and eventually emergency medical workers tended to Jones. Once the brace was on, they rolled him onto a backboard and lifted him onto a stretcher before wheeling him off the floor.

The Heat later diagnosed Jones Jr. with a neck strain following a series of scans and tests. The team added he would be re-evaluated over the weekend.

Heat center Bam Adebayo, one of Jones’ closest friends on the team and someone who was not playing in Friday’s game, followed the group of rescue workers off the floor. Jones appeared to have movement in most of his extremities, and was tapping the toes of his sneakers on the court several times while being evaluated.

Jones has averaged 8.6 points, 4 rebounds and 23.4 minutes for the Heat this season. He won the slam dunk championship during the All-Star break.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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